Rutgers professor, author lectures about 'Islamophobia' at UM-Flint

Updated Mar 20, 2013; Posted Mar 20, 2013

Deepa Kumar, a Rutgers University professor and author, jots down an audience question during a lecture on "Islamophobia" - what she describes as "anti-Muslim racism ideology" - at University of Michigan-Flint.

FLINT, MI--A professor and author from the East Coast came to Flint to talk about oppression to Muslim people and college students were interested to see what she had to say.

Nearly 100 students filled a University of Michigan-Flint classroom to hear Rutgers professor Deepa Kumar give a lecture about "Islamophobia," the subject of her book "Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire."

Kumar uses the term to describe "anti-Muslim racism ideology based on the notion that Muslims are terrorists," she said after the lecture.

Ordinary people had positive views of Muslims from the 8th century through the 15th century, during an 800-year Muslim rule in the likes of Spain and Portugal, Kumar said. During that time, Muslims were leaders in medicare, architecture and astronomy.

But "Islamophobia" ideology, she said, goes back as far as The Crusades in the 11th century. The "elite," she said, uses the negative image of Muslims to advance political agendas.

That strategy continues now, Kumar asserts, with the War on Terror--and regular people buy into it more than before.

"As long as we have these 'enemies,' we (are made to believe) we need people to fight them," she said. "You can't send off soldiers to die for oil, but you can send them off to defend ourselves from terrorist threats.

"...As long as they keep us frightened, trillions can be wasted on wars abroad rather than things that people actually need here, such as healthcare, jobs and schools."

Kumar added that a study at Brown University estimates that $4 trillion would be used on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

She lectured for the first hour of her presentation, and answered questions from audience members for about 45 minutes.

Blair Ellis an anthropology senior at University of Michigan-Flint, attended the lecture for class and because he was interested in the topic.

"It was good to get a deeper understanding of the historical (perpetuation of the images)," Ellis said. "I understand how deeply entrenched in America media it is."